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Internationalisation path of the RMB. Shahin Vallée Bruegel Asia Europe Economic Forum Seoul, December 10 th 2011.
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Internationalisation path of the RMB ShahinVallée BruegelAsia Europe Economic ForumSeoul, December 10th 2011 *The views expressed in this presentation are those of the presenter and do not necessarily represent those of Bruegel or BNP Paribas. This paper is a working paper presented for the first time and the background work was realised in the context of a joint Bruegel and CEPII report on the international Monetary System prepared for the European Commission
Outline • What makes an international currency • Myths and consensus on international currencies • Fully open capital account • Flexible exchange rate • Liberalised financial sector • Why is the RMB making steps towards • Some challenges and stumbling blocks
Myths and consensus Capital Account Liberalisation • Why capital account matters • Asymmetrical vs. full Capital Account Openness • Offshore RMB market as a controlled opening strategy Flexible Exchange Rate • Nominal vs. Real adjustment • RMB is moderately flexible • Freely usable currency in SDR Liberalised Financial Sector • Financial sector openness • Interest rate liberalisation • Intermediation capacity Sequencing • Horse and cart (Prasad, Rumbaugh, Wang) • FX flexibility needs to precede capital account (Mishkin) • Financial liberalisation and FX flexibility • Roadmap or the lack thereof
Growth of RMB offshore • Growth of RMB is very substantial (importers arbitrages?) • Imbalances between deposits and asset growth • Asset growth and links to the capital account openness
FX flexibility • Does Nominal Flexibility really matter? • The Horse and the Cart problem • Capital Account Openness precipitates currency flexibility
RMB as a regional anchor • Regional Anchor • Regional lender of last resort • Lessons from Europe? 6
Stumbling Blocks for China • Asymmetry of internationalization • Increase of RMB liabilities and USD Assets? • Is Pilot scheme sustainable • Current Account Deficit and dissemination of reserves • RMB issuance market • Reserves in the official sector • Appreciation dynamics and rebalancing • Financial Sector Reform • Domestic reform: Banks as quasi fiscal actors • Internationalisation of banks 8
Challenges to the paper • Settlement vs. Invoicing Currency • Current Account deficit and internationalization of currency • When does capital account restriction become binding? • Move from a second tier international currency to a real reserve currency 9